media_artricles :: 2017

Boldon backs Richards in 200m

All of T&T is alive and confident after Jereem Richards captured the attention of the World with a dazzling 20.05 seconds on Monday in the Men's 200 metres race at the World Championships in London, England. Compatriot Kyle Greaux joined him in today's semi-final rounds.

Today at 3.55pm (TT time), Greaux will be in semi-final 1, running from Lane 6, and will have to contend with USA's Isiah Young, South African Akani Simbina and Jamaica's Rashweed Dwyer. Later at 4.04 pm (TT time) in semi-final 2, Jereem Richards will race from Lane 5, against Jamaican Yohan Blake and Great Britain's Zhanel Hughes.

South African Wayde Van Niekerk will race in semi-final 3.

Only one T&T athlete has won a gold medal in the World Championships at 200 metres, and this is Ato Boldon in the 1997 Athens Championships.

Almost 20 years to the date, Boldon speaking ahead of the semi-finals and while not willing to talk about the race strategy as the rounds are still on, told Guardian Media Sports: "Jereem and I have been communicating for some months actually, since May. He knows that he has to manage his nerves and energy from now on, because I think he will be a finalist, and in the final he can really be a factor. He knows that. I told him so before these rounds even started. If he gets an outside lane (7, 8, 9) for the final, he will medal. He could medal anyway, if he runs a big PR in the final. His first round race I thought looked better than almost everyone else's."

Boldon who won this race in dramatic fashion in 1997 says: "Today is 20 years to that date, so it has been on my mind and although I use to think that the person to break my record was not born yet, that has changed,"

Boldon, now rated as one of the best sports analysts in the World, is working with the NBC network and laments one aspect of sprinting in T&T. He said, "I hate the fact that all the sprinters from T&T much ignored the 200 metres in the past. But Jereem is a very humble person and he has sought my advice and I have given him all I can. He will do well. "

Boldon was also high in praise for Greaux and pointed out, "He ran well in his race to get to the next round. He will have to do a Personal Record or be close to make the final."

Should Richards and Greaux progress from the semi-finals, they will run the 200 men's final tomorrow at 4.52pm (TT time).

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